CQ's Restaurant — Restaurant in Hilton Head Island

I have dined with CQ's many times over the last 15+ years and never disappointed. It was an early dinner with a 5 year old, so how much atmosphere can a person handle. The restaurant was busy, but it was calm and peaceful, which was good after being in the sun for most of the day. Take away the 5 year old, allow me 30 minutes to throw back 5 shots of tequila, and we have a totally different ballgame.

Appetizers consisted of calamari and a shrimp cocktail for me. I have celiac and must adhere to a gluten-free diet. Thanks to all those on a gluten-free diet that is not required. Provides better products and more options, so keep eating gluten-free. Apologies, both of the appetizers were good. The shrimp cocktail was extra special when compared to the one from a few nights earlier while diving at a different restaurant. For some reason, any day that I have spent a long period of time in the sun, I crave a cold wedge salad, and it was on point. The chicken fingers and fries were rated 5 lipsticks, based upon the Barbie scale, which I was unfamiliar with until the rating. I was informed that the filet and potato pancake were excellent. I would estimate that 80% of the time that I select the pork chop. Always cooked perfectly and outstanding. The only issue I personally have is the Bourbon glazed apples listed as part of the dinner. As we all know, bourbon mash is made from corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley. Except for the corn, the other ingredients are not gluten-free. It could be that some people are not impacted, or maybe when the apples are glazed, the ppm drops below the measurement threshold. I have no idea and am highly sensitive, so stay away at all costs. I once read that double distilled scotch is fine for celiac, and though triple distilled should be even better. I will only say that the scotch experiment did not work out so well.

Staff is great. Servers are attentive without being overbearing and are knowledgeable of the menu and dietary constraints.

Great meal paired with a nice Barolo, and of course, what goes best with chicken tenders? Shirley Temple!!

Now that I live a couple of miles away, please order more pork. I shall...

I've been here twice before and had a great time, but words CANNOT describe how my most recent meal here went above and BEYOND what I remember of this place; my family practically had a six course meal!

SIX!

Before I get into the food, the restaurant itself. This is most certainly a fancy and fine dining establishment, and the vibe from both exterior and interior certainly radiate that further. The soft candlelit esque interior lighting gives off an impression of a simpler, bygone era, and it works great for my tastes!

In reference to the food, I admit I might be using the word "course" a bit lightly, given how the first "course" was the standard bread rolls and butter you would expect from just about any place. But hey, you can't beat a classic! :)

Our second course was the salad course. My mother had the Roasted Beets & Arugula Salad, father had the Pear Salad, and I helped myself to a delicious Caesar Salad with anchovies! I'm a bit of a sucker for the highly salty fish, and it paired well with the salad!

For beverages, I have never cared for alcohol, so I just went with a water and root beer, but my folks had...well, I don't remember, but they had a selection from the HUGE selection (and just as costly) wine list. They certainly weren't disappointed!

The third course was this special item Ravioli looking thing that I can't recall the name of, but it had meat stuffed inside. Our fourth and main entree course followed next, where my mom and I ordered some delectable Marinated Grilled Shrimp, and Dad had...I think it was the Grilled Atlantic Salmon?

Course #5 consisted of our main dessert order, where I partook in the Key Lime Pie with strawberry syrup, and they had...forgive me for forgetting the name again, they had some kind of salted caramel brownie square. The sixth and final course consisted of the big and complementary chocolate circles that they gave us when the bill arrived.

They even have a special Christmas menu too!

TL;DR A fine dining experience with elegant food out the wazoo!

If you are staying in the area and are looking for something more than ordinary, look no...

My family and I visited CQ’s for my parents 22nd wedding anniversary this year. While our waitress was kind, I was not impressed with the service and quality of food that we ate for the that price we paid. When we attempted to make our reservation my father had attempted to call 3 separate times and each time he got no response. My mother has a dairy allergy and it is important that we can find restaurants that will accommodate to her dietary restrictions. We ended up making a reservation through “Open Table” and decided to try our luck because we heard it was terrific. While our server was kind and we were able to find a good meal for my mom, we never got any calls back when we tried to ask about it. We also accidentally left our anniversary cards on the table that night and when we went back the next morning to try to retrieve them, the restaurant was closed. We were not able to get in touch with anyone at CQ’s prior to leaving the island so we left without them. Later that day CQ’s returned our call and we asked them if they could mail the cards to us. They explained they couldn’t, but could not give us a good reason why. They said they could hold the cards for us, but we have no family in South Carolina and wouldn’t be able to get them back. We even attempted to pay for the shipping of the 3 cards, but the management said no. Although these cards are technically just paper they still had very special messages inside them and were very special keepsakes for our time on the island. When visiting a “fine dinging establishment” and paying nearly $400 for a meal for four people, there is a certain level of customer service that is expected. When a restaurant has that high of a price point, the customer service should be elevated. In general, this was not a...